Quadree Henderson may be not be particularly tall, but on the college football recruiting landscape he stood out.

His first scholarship offer came from Clemson, which indicated to the Alexis I. du Pont High wide receiver that more would likely be coming.

Nearly a dozen followed, and it's the one from the University of Pittsburgh that Henderson has accepted heading into his senior season.

"I always wanted to play college football," the Wilmington resident said Thursday. "Football is my first love. I want to be a big-time player and give back to my city and, hopefully, make it to the NFL."

The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Henderson ultimately chose Pitt over Boston College and West Virginia. In addition to Clemson, other suitors included Nebraska, Rutgers, Temple, Ohio, Cincinnati and Delaware.

"He's got a great skill set," A.I. du Pont coach Zeb Blum said. "We just put the ball in his hands and let him do his thing."

That included using his speed to beat defenders downfield but, more impressively, said Blum, in the open field, where Henderson is able to "cut and use his movement to work in space and in tight areas. He works well with the ball in his hands."

What made Henderson particularly attractive to recruiters, Blum added, was his down-to-earth personality and diligent approach.

"That's what got him the attention," Blum said. "He's a character kid."

As evidence of that, Henderson has already begun coaching younger football players for the No Limit Hurricanes in the Pop Warner program in which he came up.

Henderson played one varsity game as an A.I. freshman but has been a two-way starter at wide receiver and cornerback since his sophomore year.

For last year's 5-5 Tigers, Henderson accounted for more than 1,000 yards of total offense with 31 catches for 831 yards and 10 touchdowns and 16 carries for 164 yards and a TD. He also ran back two interceptions, two kickoffs and a punt for touchdowns, making him a top prospect as a returnman.

Among the draws at Pitt were academic programs in which he had interest, such as sports management and sports medicine, a spread offense in which Tyler Boyd was among the nation's top freshmen receivers last fall – "We hit it off," Henderson said of his visit – and a coaching staff that struck him as very honest.

Pitt's new receivers coach is Greg Lewis, who spent six of his eight NFL seasons with the Eagles and caught a touchdown pass in their Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. This is his third year in college coaching.

It didn't hurt that Brian O'Neill, a freshman tight end at Pitt this fall out of Salesianum, is a close friend and former 7-on-7 teammate of Henderson's.

"I'm just going to go out there, work hard, use my speed and make a difference," said Henderson, who was happy to make his decision before what shapes up as a promising season with the Tigers.